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MALCOLM MATHESON, B. D., PH. D. 



PAYING THE PRICE 

The Young Man Who Considered the 

Price Too Great 



MALCOLM MATHESON, B. D, PH. D. 




BOSTON 

RICHARD G. BADGER 

THE GORHAM PRESS 



Copyright, 1919, by Malcolm Matheson 



All Rights Reserved 






• 



OCT -9 1919 



MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. 



^CI.A535 2 26 



*V 



i 



CONTENTS 

Page 

Paying the Price . 9 

First Stage — Self-Sufficiency , . . 13 

Second Stage— Something Wanting 27 

Third Stage — A Vision of Eternal Life. ... 37 

Fourth Stage— One Thing Lacking 43 

Fifth Stage — Christ in the Balance 55 

Sixth Stage — -The Price Too Great 61 



Matthew 19:16-22. 

"And behold, one came to him and said, Teacher, what 
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And 
he said unto him, why asketh thou me concerning that 
which is good? One there is who is good. But if thou 
wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith 
unto him, which? And Jesus said, Thou shalt not kill, 
Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, 
Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and 
thy mother; and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I 
observed: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou 
wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and 
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: 
and come, follow me. But when the young man heard 
the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that 
had great possessions/' 



Mark 10:17-22. 

"And as he was going forth into the way, there ran one 
to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, 
what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And 
Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is 
good save one, even God. Thou knowest the command- 
ments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not 
steal. Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor 
thy father and mother. And he said unto him, Teacher, 
all these things have I observed from my youth. And 
Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, 
One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, 
and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heav- 
en: and come, follow me. But his countenance fell at the 
saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was one that 
had great possessions." 



PAYING THE PRICE 



PAYING THE PRICE 

The Young Man Who Considered the Price Too 

Great 

' I S HE master passion of a man's life is that cen- 
A ter around which all his conduct, character 
and life radiate. The dominant factor in a man's 
life is that to which everything else in his life is 
subservient. In every man's character there is a 
point which rules; and to which everything else 
is brought for comparison and settlement. If a 
man makes the accumulation of wealth the domi- 
nant factor, and master passion of his life, every- 
thing is brought to that pivotal point in his life and 
character for comparison, judgment and final set- 
tlement. Alexander the Great made the conquest 
of the world the master passion of his life. He 
felt that this was the greatest thing in all the world 
for man to aim at. He realized his dream; but, 
alas, I see him weeping that the end of his wonder- 
ful achievements was at hand; he filled a prema- 
ture grave from reckless living, and his master 
conquests crumbled into divided empires. Napo- 
leon started out to terrorize all the world. The 
idol and ruling passion of his life was world con- 
quest and great earthly achievements. He stood 
upon the island of St. Helena stripped of all his 

9 



io Paying the Price 

wonderful achievements, and felt deep down in his 
heart that there was after all a better road in life 
to travel than that over which he had passed. Cae- 
sar said, the world is mine. The boundaries of 
great empires trembled under the tread of his 
foot. The peasant regarded him as a god, worthy 
of the worship of the noblest elements in man. 
But he fell, a victim to the assassin's blade, and I 
hear him whispering down the aisles of time "van- 
ity of vanities" is written across the face of all my 
great glories; and my tracks across the sandy des- 
ert of time will soon be filled in by the breeze from 
the receding chain of years, The Man of Galilee 
appeared from amongst the peasantry of the 
orient. There was a master passion, and a pivotal 
point in His character around which radiated His 
entire life. It was not the material conquest of 
the world, nor the accumulation of the treasures 
of earth; but love to God, and service to man. 
Traveling upon this foundation, with this center 
around which His entire life radiated, He began 
to rise, the Sun of Righteousness with healing in 
His beams. He crossed the expanse of time like 
a meteor leaving a trail of brightness as He trav- 
eled. He diffuses a transforming influence that is 
molding the world, and changing the old planet 
into a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwel- 
eth righteousness. 



Paying the Price 1 1 



This young man came to Jesus Christ with a 
clear conception formed of what he considered the 
greatest thing in all the world. The pivotal point, 
and master passion of his life was, the accumula- 
tion of wealth; seasoned by an ethical material 
conception of things religious. Wordly prosper- 
ity was the uppermost thing in all his life ; with re- 
ligion merely a parasite growing upon the boughs 
thereof. He desired to have other things besides 
worldly accumulations; but earthly possessions 
were to him the foundation qualities of excellence. 
All other things must be subservient to this central 
factor in his life and character. He came where 
Jesus Christ was and asked : "what must I do to in- 
herit eternal life." He had splendid religious 
aspirations; a favorable inclination towards things 
divine ; so he asked this question. Jesus told him 
that there was one thing he would have to do, and 
that was, to change the pivotal point, or master 
passion of his life. That he would have to put 
the things of God and heaven in place of his pas- 
sion for the accumulation of earthly possessions. 
In substance he deliberately made answer that the 
price was entirely too great; he went away sad of 
countenance, and is never heard from again. 

Let us consider this young man's life from vari- 
ous points of view. From the earliest possible con- 
ception that we can legitimately form of him, let 



12 Paying the Price 

us follow him until he came to the climax, when 
he made the great refusal because he considered 
the price too great, and vanished forever from 
sight. 



FIRST STAGE 

SELF-SUFFICIENCY 

' I k HE first stage in this young man's life was 
A that of self-sufficiency. There evidently was 
a time when he felt that he lacked nothing. Be- 
cause of his possessions, he no doubt enjoyed a 
goodly measure of popularity among his asso- 
ciates, which led him to lose sight of the weaknesses 
and short comings peculiar to the entire human 
race ; but more especially to the young man full of 
life, and surrounded by bright prospects for the 
future. To guard against a similar weakness, 
every young man starting out in life would do well 
to remember the boundaries and limitations of 
life. That regardless of social standing, prospects, 
and opportunities these limitations enter into all 
the fields of human activities; and the wise man 
will always guard against becoming enslaved to 
the idea of self-sufficiency. One of the great 
things in life for a young man to guard against is, 
that of losing self-reliance and self-confidence. 
These two noble qualifications gone, the young 
man at once becomes a weakling. Without these 
two, the spirit is caged, ability concealed, and tal- 
ents lie buried never to be quickened. Many a 
young man has become a weakling in this respect 
because of snubbery of bombastic unworthy asso- 
ciates. Under such circumstances, nine cases out 

13 



14 Paying the Price 

of every ten, failure is written in very bold type 
across the future which otherwise might have been 
a bright career. He is doomed to failure unless 
by a kind turn of providence he is able to surmount 
and regain his original natural standing with his 
inherent qualifications. Self-reliance and self-con- 
fidence do not mean a feeling of self-sufficiency and 
of lacking nothing. One of the most dangerous 
positions in a young man's life is, to become per- 
fectly satisfied with one's self. There can be no 
growth, nor progress in such a life. The ideal 
condition is, for the young man to see mountain 
peaks towering high above him which are as yet 
unmastered and unconquered ; and, with the prop- 
er degree of self-confidence and self-reliance; call- 
ing God into co-operation to start out and scale 
these towering heights. At this stage of self-suf- 
ficiency in this young man's life, he was blind to 
the boundaries and limitations of humanity. Great 
facts were towering about him upon all sides, but 
he could not see that there was any necessity for 
him to feel other than that he was upon the right 
track in life. He thus reminds us of the young 
man acting as Elisha's servant. The enemy sur- 
rounded the city, and the young man felt that all 
was ended. The prophet prayed God to open his 
eyes that he might see. He saw the mountains 
full of horses and chariots he never heard of be- 



First Stage — Self-Sufficiency 15 

fore. I shall characterize this first stage of this 
young man's life as a condition of blindness; or 
the inability to see the error of making earthly 
possessions the master passion of his life, and turn- 
ing his back upon God because his limited vision 
considered the price too great. I invite the young 
man into a consideration of a few of the things 
which may lead to this blindness in life. 

First: — Blindness, as a logical consequence of 
inherent natural weakness. Because of this inher- 
ent natural weakness peculiar to humanity in all 
the ages, it is the part of w r isdom for the young 
man to be always asking the question—am I right; 
and to give due consideration to the judgments 
and opinions of others. Man is constantly acquir- 
ing knowledge through the senses, which have 
their boundaries and limitations definitely set, and 
nature is constantly saying, thus far shalt thou 
go but no further. Man's ear is an avenue of 
great convenience in life ; as well as to enable him 
to learn through sound the grandeur and magnifi- 
cence of the world of nature. But sound a note 
beyond thirty-eight thousand vibrations per second 
and the ear is useless, for at that stage sound be- 
comes a blank to the ear. At the distance of nine 
miles the horizon closes in upon the eye. In so far 
as the eye is concerned man is blind to everything 
beyond that distance reaching out into that mar- 



1 6 Paying the Price 



velous space terminating in the outskirts of the 
universe. The scientist informs us that the ana- 
lyzed ray of light reveals the seven colors to the 
eye ; but that there are all indications to show that 
there are other divisions of the same ray of light 
which are beyond the power of the human eye to 
grasp in its present stage of development. The 
whole universe is but a collection of facts and 
truths; and in so far as knowledge thereof is con- 
cerned, man is a child playing with the pebbles up- 
on the shore of the mighty ocean. I ask the farm- 
er to tell me how the grain of corn develops into 
the great stock and full ear. He shows me the 
family to which it belongs ; its stock, stamins and 
pistils, and the particular way in which it is ferti- 
lized. I ask the biologist to explain ; and he talks 
learnedly of protoplasm, homologous organs and 
primitive types. I ask the chemist; and he shows 
me the chemically analyzed contents of the devel- 
oped seed securely placed in bottles and each bot- 
tle labeled its chemical contents. The astronomer 
points to the sun and says that it takes the whole 
solar system to cause a single ear of corn to grow. 
But when I ask them all to explain its life princi- 
ple, and the hidden mystery of its growth, they all 
make answer, that that is beyond the boundaries 
and limitations of man's power to know. The 
blade of grass is a little laboratory constantly tak- 



First Stage — Self Sufficiency 17 

ing in the Carbon-Dioxide from the atmosphere, 
retaining the carbon and sending the purified oxy- 
gen back into the atmosphere for us to breathe. 
When I ask for an explanation as to how this is 
done by the plant, man stands helpless, confessing 
that he is blind. One of the leading educators of 
the United States, in a popular lecture relates the 
experience of a Massachusetts young man, who 
sold his farm as being worthless. This young man 
was a bright college student. He received fair re- 
muneration for tutoring during the advanced per- 
iod of his college course. At graduation, he was 
offered a professorship by the college at a splendid 
salary. He was the only boy of a widowed moth- 
er with whom he lived on her farm. He declined 
the generous offer from the college, and insisted 
upon the mother to sell the farm, and go "west" 
with him where he would have an opportunity to 
prospect among the silver and gold mines of the 
western hills. This done, like the young man of 
our scripture narrative, he vanished and is never 
heard from again. In the meantime, the man who 
bought the farm discovered in a stone wall near 
the barn a block of native silver eight inches 
square. "Here was a hundred thousand dollars 
right down here just for the taking." The young 
man was going up and down the world looking for 
that very thing upon w 7 hich his eyes fell every day 



1 8 Paying the Price 



as he walked by on his way to the college. The 
lecturer's teaching is, that right underneath our 
feet there are fortunes as great as that of the far 
distance if we only had eyes to see and ears to 
hear. Every day in the year, young men are walk- 
ing by doors that lead to fortune, because of the 
boundaries and limitations of man's perceiving 
powers. 

Because of blindness, as a logical consequence of 
inherent weakness; Shakespeare died unappre- 
ciated by his own age. It was left for a future 
generation, three hundred years after his death, 
to have the scales fall from their eyes and realize 
that a wonderful thinker and writer had lived 
sometime in the past. Abraham Lincoln was un- 
appreciated, and with great struggling fought his 
way to the heights, only to be severely criticized, 
and finally meet the assassin's blade. It was left 
for a rising generation, in the following century to 
encase the log cabin of his birth in marble of ex- 
quisite beauty. Cromwell, the great English states- 
man, was buried in Westminster Abby, but soon 
afterwards his body was dragged out of its sepul- 
chre and hanged in ridicule. For nearly two hun- 
dred years he was execrated, until a wiser genera- 
tion with greater perceiving powers, recognized 
him as the man of iron who destroyed despotism 
in England, and laid the foundations upon which 



First Stage — Self -Sufficiency 19 

world democracy is building today. In the year 
1899 a monument was erected to his memory in 
Westminster Abby. Mozart, the leading musician 
of his age, and one of the greatest that ever lived, 
died unrecognized and unappreciated. One morn- 
ing a friend came into his home and found Mozart 
and his young wife waltzing around the room to 
keep warm, for the fuel was all gone and the 
pocketbook was empty. He worked beyond his 
physical endurance trying to make ends meet; he 
composed master productions, but a blear-eyed 
age in gawkness looked on and failed to see any- 
thing but an ordinary man with extreme musical 
notions. Caused by poverty, enmity and disap- 
pointment, on December 5th, 1791, at the age of 
thirty-seven, he died from a broken spirit. Early 
the next day his body was hurried, in a drizzling 
rain, to its last resting place. He was buried in a 
pauper's grave on the outside of the city of 
Vienna. One hundred years afterwards, the world 
began to realize that a Mozart had lived. Then 
the city of Vienna voted a magnificent sum for the 
erection of a monument to mark his last resting 
place, and to claim the honor of his citizenship. 
Today, if you visit that pauper's field your atten- 
tion would be attracted by this splendid monu- 
ment. But, alas, as you read the inscription there- 
on, upon the base thereof you would find these 



20 Paying the Price 

words: "The probable site of Mozart's grave." 
"The blindness which caused the young man who 
came to Jesus from seeing was caused by the same 
inherent weakness that has led the great multitude 
to travel the same path ever since. Jesus Christ 
was regarded as a Jewish peasant, and an impos- 
tor turning divinity into a mockery. He was sadly 
misunderstood; sorely persecuted; and was at last 
ignominiously crucified; but destined to loom up 
as the most sublime figure of all the ages, and at 
last recognized by the whole world as the Son of 
God. Their eyes were holden from inherent nat- 
ural weakness; they denounced His claims to di- 
vinity but all saw clearly, when the sun was turned 
to darkness, the veil of the temple torn asunder; 
the rocks rent in twain; and the buried dead began 
to walk the earth. 

Second : — Blindness, or inability to place things 
in their right relation in life, may be caused, by 
the abnormal development, and wrong application 
of our perceiving powers. Every young man is 
endowed with powers to see and to understand to 
a certain extent. The great responsibility comes 
in the development of, and applications that 
are made of these powers. In starting upon the 
highway of life, the young man comes in contact 
with certain influences which tend to form a mold 
for his character, and direct the path in which he 



First Stage — Self-Sufficiency 21 

shall travel. He has to contend with the law of 
heredity; for the influence of a past generation is 
trickling through his veins. His environment is 
ever present with him making itself known at 
every turn. The spirit of the age in which he is 
living is forever proclaiming: "This is the way 
walk ye in it.*! Because of these factors, there is 
great necessity of coming for guidance to some- 
thing that is solid, established, that has stood the 
test of ages, and is recognized the world over as 
the eternally established standard from heaven. A 
profound question in the young man's life is: are 
my heavenly endowed perceiving powers, normal- 
ly developed and rightly applied. The universal 
order of things in the human race, expect the de- 
velopment and use of these perceiving powers. If 
neglected and not developed, man shall surely be- 
come a parasite upon the boughs of human socie- 
ty. The fish in Mammoth cave, has lost its eyes, 
because there was no light in the cave to exercise 
the sight. Professor Drummond informs us, 
concerning the Sacculina; a minute organism fre- 
quently found in the Hermit-Crab. Nature des- 
tined it to sail buoyantly upon the face of the 
ocean; to independently enjoy, and possess the 
beauty of nature. But with the pauper spirit of a 
pansite, it embedded itself in the crab, and sucked 
its nourishment from it. From disuse, its mem- 



22 Paying the Price 



bers gradually dropped off; and now its glorious 
destiny is lost in this poor degenerate parasite. It 
can no longer enjoy the ocean billows. Its oppor- 
tunity is past. It pursued the wrong course, and 
now its natural endowments are gone. Man's nat- 
ural endowments must be developed; must be exer- 
cised, or they will shrink, shrivel, and be but mere 
shadows of what they are capable of becoming. 
Guard against the neglect of the development of 
those qualities of the soul which will enable you to 
see far into things ; and seeing things in their right 
relationship. Guard with equal alertness against 
the wrong application, when you do develop these 
powers. The young man who came where Jesus 
Christ was developed his, but he allowed himself 
to be controlled entirely by inherent natural ten- 
dencies, and outside factors. A father left his in- 
valid daughter at home as he took a far journey 
into the bosom of nature. His mission was, to 
explore a coal field for commercial investment. It 
was at that season of the year when nature was in 
the height of her glory. Upon returning home, 
the invalid girl asked him, if he saw the grandeur 
of nature. He replied, no. Asked if he saw "the 
cattle upon a thousand hills" ; the flowers bloom- 
ing; the full fledged foliage of nature; the birds 
by their nests giving expression to the overflowing 
gratitude of instinct; he replied, no. Asked if he 



First Stage — Self-Sufficiency 23 

saw the marvelous works of nature robing her in 
the heights of splendor, revealing the wonderful 
operations of a mysterious power; he replied, no. 
Whereupon, the girl asked him what he did see, 
he replied: u nothing but coal." He passed through 
it all. It met his gaze, but he could not see for he 
was blind. Having eyes he could not see because 
of the abnormal development, and wrong applica- 
tion of his divinely endowed perceiving powers. So 
it was with this young man who came to Jesus 
Christ asking, "what must I do to inherit eternal 
life." The Saviour placed the matter clearly be- 
fore him but he could not see. 

Third:— -Man remains in a condition of blind- 
ness, because of his inability to surmount obstacles 
and hindrances. This young man desired to fol- 
low Jesus but the obstacle that intervened was too 
great to surmount; and he decided to remain as he 
was. Remember, my dear young sir, the problem 
of encountered obstacles in attaining to an ideal. 
The way to great heights in life is paved with 
rough boulders and scraggy pebbles. For a knowl- 
edge of the ups and downs of the way to the Ce- 
lestial City, read John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's 
Progress." When blind Bartimaeus, heard that 
the Saviour was near, the first obstacle he had to 
contend with was: to accept upon the testimony of 
others, that "Jesus of Nazareth was passing by." 



24 Paying the Price 

He had considerable circumstantial evidences to 
confirm this statement. The Saviour was beyond 
his sight, and the only thing he had to stand upon 
was circumstantial evidences and faith. Here 
stood a man in great darkness; he took chances on 
surmounting the obstacle, and he won. The next 
obstacle he had to overcome was, the discouraging 
words of other people. At the top of his voice he 
persisted in crying out "Jesus thou son of David 
have mercy upon me." The multitude demanded 
that this man be kept quiet. He was asked to hold 
his peace. His soul was set upon a great object 
and a high ideal. He received no encouragement 
to help him along. He only heard the adverse 
criticism of those with whom he came in contact. 
With his trust in God, he knew that he was right, 
and no jeers of fellow man could silence him. In 
the face of obstacles, he held his ideal before him, 
he surmounted the difficulties, and won the day. 
Still another obstacle that Bartimaeus had to sur- 
mount was: to surrender his opportunity for a 
large collection by begging from the multitude 
passing by on this special occasion. A fourth obsta- 
cle was, that in his darkness, he had to elbow his 
way through the multitude intervening between 
him and the Saviour. By the spirit of determina- 
tion, and boundless faith in Jesus of Nazareth, he 
surmounted all these obstacles and received his 






First Stage — Self-Sufficiency 25 

sight. 

The Red Sea; a vast and howling wilderness; 
forty years of wandering and extreme privation, 

stood between Israel and the "Promised Land." 
They had to be surmounted, or the Jordan could 
not be crossed. Paul was as blind to the propo- 
sition put up to him by Jesus Christ as was this 
young man because of an obstacle that intervened. 
But when the scales fell from his eyes on the 
Damascus road, he no longer had any trouble in 
seeing Jesus. He was extremely zealous in up- 
holding the master passion of his life; which was 
fidelity to God and to the Old Dispensation. The 
proposition of Jesus Christ followed him where- 
ever he went. He was conscientious, but he could 
not see ; at last the scales were removed, and now 
he has no trouble in seeing Jesus. Spiritual blind- 
ness is caused by a weakened spiritual will power 
allowing material things to come in between the 
soul and God. This was identically what hap- 
pened the young man who came to Jesus Christ 
asking about eternal life. An obstacle intervened 
and he did not have the power to surmount it. He 
was satisfied with what he had. He could not see 
that he needed anything else. He remained in his 
condition of blindness, and is eternally lost. 

As we have this far considered the young man 
of our scripture narrative, we behold him deeply 



26 Paying the Price 



embedded in the idea of self-sufficiency. He was 
told what to do, but he could not see clear enough, 
to enable him to change from his own notions and 
ideas. He had made one thing the pivotal point, 
and master passion of his life, and he could not 
see that there was anything else in all the world 
that was worthy of taking the place of that one 
thins:. 



THE SECOND STAGE 

SOMETHING WANTING 

' I A HE second stage in this young man's life 
was, when he began to realize that there was 
something lacking. This was the most fortunate 
moment in all his life. He no doubt was the son 
of a Pharisee and aimed at great perfection in re- 
ligion. When Jesus Christ told him to keep the 
commandments, he said: "all these have I kept 
from my youth." He no doubt, was following the 
religious teachings of his day; but he came to a 
time when he felt that there was something lacking 
in the routine of his daily life. The "Prodigal 
Son" left his home and went into a far country, 
to see the ways of the world. He no doubt 
thought this necessary to broaden himself beyond 
the confines of a Jewish race, and to become wise 
in the ways of the world. He did not travel far 
until he was accosted by a group of young men 
who informed him that they had been on the road 
a long time, and could show him the "ropes" as 
very few could. The prodigal had departed from 
the example of religious parents; from the Bible 
and prayer ; from the synagogue and the sabbath ; 
from sacrificing to God; and from giving of his 
worldly possessions to the cause of religion and 
the poor. The young man who turns his back 
upon all these, and plunges into the temptations 

27 



28 Paying the Price 



and attractions of the world, must possess charac- 
ter of extraordinary strength if he does not go 
the way that the Prodigal was led into by his new- 
ly found associates. With great recklessness he 
wasted the portion that the father gave him until 
it was all gone. He found the path of the prod- 
igal to be extremely gratifying in the beginning, 
and for a time; but that the end thereof was mis- 
ery and destruction. He woke up one morning to 
find that his money was gone, his companions gone 
back on him, and his reputation such that the best 
young people did not care to associate with him. 
Like "Lot" standing upon the outskirts of the 
burning plain, stripped of all his earthly posses- 
sions; so stood he, stripped of practically all that 
the heavenly and earthly fathers had endowed him 
with. He joined himself to a citizen of that "Far 
Country," who sent him to do the lowest work that 
a Jew could be called upon to do; to feed hogs, 
and to eat the husks that they did eat. One day, 
as he was down in the lowest strata of human ex- 
istence, he came to himself, and realized that there 
was something lacking in his life, which he should 
possess. The most fortunate moment in a young 
man's life is, w T hen he comes to himself, and 
realizes that there is something lacking which he 
should possess. Actuated by this realization, the 
prodigal came to the Father, and the result we 



The Second Stage — Something Wanting 29 

know. So the young man who came where Jesus 
Christ was realized that there was something lack- 
ing. 

A young man stood at the beginning of the 
journey of life. The morning was fair, with 
splendid indications of a bright day. Friends were 
upon all sides, and servants in attendance. The 
road seemed paved with bricks of gold. With the 
awakening of the grandest elements of his life, the 
young man said : I shall pursue, and never cease, 
until I have realized the crown of life. Bidding 
farewell to friends and associations, he began the 
journey which proved so hard and tedious. He 
traveled far, and into many avenues. First he 
saw, at some distance off his road, standing upon 
an elevation, a palace of such magnificence and 
grandeur, that it was entirely beyond the power of 
the human mind to grasp, and of human words to 
describe. He noticed that mostly all traveling 
this road, turned aside to it. Across the arch of 
the main entrance was written, in letters of gold 
and ivory, the word "Pleasure." The lure of the 
palace was practically beyond the power of the 
human mind to reject. He must enter, for here 
he said, I may find the crown of life. He was 
highly welcomed, and the servants seemed ex- 
tremely anxious. All the inmates of this place 
seemed to be enjoying themselves to the full; with 



30 Paying the Price 

the exception of an occasional one, who seemed to 
have the appearance of great disappointment. 
They had gormandized to the full upon the en- 
tire contents of the palace, and now are looking 
upon it all in disgust. He wonders how these 
things can be. Upon all sides were pleasures that 
ministered to all the senses. Here was all that the 
ear could desire in exquisite music, and rare 
sounds. The eye fell upon the great master pro- 
ductions of the world in art. Woman was at the 
height of her glory, and he wondered if some were 
not angels. Choice wines flowed in great abun- 
dance; and all the base inclinations of life were 
gratified to the full. He wondered what life on 
earth could desire more than this. As time rolled 
on, and the sparkling lustre that dazzled his eyes 
at the beginning began to fade, he recalled the 
discontented ones whom he saw there at the be- 
ginning. He informed his new associates that he 
felt that there was something lacking in his life 
which led him to start out ; and which he thought 
the palace would supply; but alas, it is not here. 
He bade them farewell, vowing that he would 
never again return. As he journeyed on, he saw a 
group of buildings, all of ancient architecture. A 
man at the entrance thereto beckoned him to come 
this way. He listened to the call and entered this 
institution of learning. He first gained a master 



The Second Stage — Something Wanting 3 1 

knowledge of the surface facts of the world; a 
complete knowledge of astronomy, and of the 
great system of the universe. He then mastered a 
knowledge of all philosophies and theories, reach- 
ing far out beyond man's knowledge based upon 
material things. He familiarized himself with all 
the researches of the scientific world. He went in- 
to all the avenues of human conduct. He searched 
theology and religious knowledge to their greatest 
depths. And at last that he might have a perfect 
weapon with which to handle all his knowledge, he 
mastered literature. Surely, he said this 
will bring me to the pinnacle of life. Time rolled 
by. The walls of this great institution be- 
gan to grow stale. He still felt that there was 
something lacking in his life ; and that the crown 
thereof was not to be found in a master knowledge 
of all the facts of the universe. He journeyed on. 
In his wandering, he discovered that man had es- 
tablished a standard of value, to be used as a 
means of exchange. He learned that the great 
barrier standing between man and possession of 
the things of this world was a lack of this means 
of exchange. He reasoned that if he had abun- 
dance of this means of exchange, he could procure 
whatever he desired of the things of life. He set 
himself to the accumulation of wealth. He was 
extremely successful ; and became wealthy. Now 



32 Paying the Price 

he said, there is nothing in life but what I can get. 
He called about him a great council of advisors to 
assist him in securing everything that money could 
buy to make life complete. Under these conditions 
he lived for a time. Again there is a vacancy which 
this abundance cannot supply. He dismissed every 
one of his advisors saying, "miserable councillors 
are you all." He learned the sad lesson that the 
jiyrown of life could not be bought. He journeyed 
on. Night overtook him. He strolled down a 
lane to a light in the window of a house at the 
foot of a hill. The night was wet and disagree- 
able. The sound of the rain and the moaning 
wind reminded him of misery on the outside, 
while within all was cheerful and pleasant. The 
door was responded to by the master of the house, 
who greeted him with a smile and a hearty hand- 
shake. He introduced himself as a wandering 
stranger, going up and down the earth, seeking the 
crown of life ; for he had long since realized that 
there was something lacking in his life. This home 
happened to be one of those in which the shadow 
of heaven came down to earth. The children en- 
gaged in their games and fun, while the older peo- 
ple discussed the current topics of the day. Then, 
all engaged in the singing of popular songs, and 
sacred music. Then, came the kneeling at the fam- 
ily altar for divine worship; followed by an ex- 



The Second Stage — Something Wanting 33 

change of "Goodnights," as all retired to the 
peaceful slumbers of nature. The young man was 
so impressed with the blessedness of the situation, 
that he felt, that perhaps after all the crown of 
life was a home on earth, let down out of heaven 
from God. So, he established one of his own. 
Happiness reigned upon all sides as the years 
rolled by. Loving innocent children climbed upon 
his back, ran to meet him in the street when they 
saw him coming, and was greeted at the door by 
a modest loving wife, who was the music and 
poetry of the home. All the sorrows and worries 
of his dealings with a hard commercial world were 
drowned in the glories of a little paradise upon 
earth. As he from time to time contemplated this 
scene, he was impressed to the last degree with the 
glories of a heaven blessed home. He asked: 
what lack I yet; a voice whispered down the aisles 
of his soul: nothing. In his haste he said: I have 
found the crown of life. But alas, the scene is 
changed, as the years rolled on with the pendelum 
of time. He felt that there was still something 
lacking. Accompanied by his wife and family, he 
resumed the journey. They traveled over many 
and wearysome roads. At last he arrived at a 
place called Mount-Sinai. Here he learned of 
Moses and the prophets ; and discovered a people 
with the greatest system of religious ethics that the 



34 Paying the Price 

world ever heard of. He said, perhaps, the crown 
of life is to be found by living under the Ten Com- 
mandments of Moses. He studied the teachings, 
and fundamental principles of the Old Testament, 
until he was recognized as an expert in this line. 
He lived and practiced this knowledge hoping that 
it would bring to him the yearning of his soul. 
Time rolled on, and his life seemed contented. 
But, he eventually began to realize that the founda- 
tion was decaying from underneath this structure ; 
and again he began to realize that his efforts were 
all in vain. He learned of a man who came from 
Galilee, and startled the world by his marvelous 
deeds. He taught that His mission to the world 
was, to supply the needs of humanity, and give 
eternal life. This young man came running where 
He was crying out: "what must I do to inherit 
eternal life." The Nazarene looked upon him 
with a smile, and said, you have been seeking 
through the wrong avenues; you have depended 
too much upon your own strength. Your life has 
been a success. Your record demands the admira- 
tion of the world; but you missed the path that 
leads to those mountain peaks, which will give 
man the greatest glories of this world; and enable 
him to develop into intellectual attainments above 
his day and generation. Sell all that you are 
holding on to, and upon which you are building, 



The Second Stage — Something Wanting 35 

and come and follow me, and you shall surely find 
the crown of life. He looked back over his ac- 
cumulations, and great earthly possessions. He 
answered, No. He gave up the search. He now 
spent the balance of his days in seclusion, ever 
feeling that there was something lacking in his 
life. He died, and never realized the crown of 
life, because, he refused to pay the price. 

When chill November's surly blast 

Made fields and forests bare, 

One evening, as I wandered forth 

Along the banks of Ayr, 

I spied a man whose aged step 

Seemed weary worn with care; 

His face was furrowed o'er with years, 

And hoary was his hair. 

Young stranger, whither wanderest thou? 

Began the reverend sage; 

Does thirst of wealth thy step constrain, 

Or youthful pleasure's rage? 

Or haply, prest with cares and woes, 

Too soon thou hast begun 

To wander forth with me to mourn 

The miseries of man. 

O man! while in thy early years, 
How prodigal of time! 
Misspending all thy precious hours, 
Thy glorious youthful prime! 
Alternate follies take the sway; 
Licentious passions burn; 
Which tenfold force gives nature's law, 
That man was made to mourn. 



36 Paying the Price 

Look not alone on youthful prime, 

Or manhood's active might; 

Man then is useful to his kind, 

Supported is his right: 

But see him on the edge of life, 

With cares and sorrows worn; 

Then age and want — oh ! ill-matched pair ! — 

Show man was made to mourn. 

Many and sharp the numerous ills 

Inwoven with our frame! 

More pointed still we make ourselves — 

Regret, remorse, and shame! 

And man, whose heaven-erected face 

The smiles of love adorn, 

Man's inhumanity to man 

Makes countless thousands mourn ! 

If I'm designed yon lordling's slave — 

By nature's law designed — 

Why was an independent wish 

E'er planted in my mind? 

If not, why am I subject to 

His cruelty or scorn? 

Or why has man the will and power 

To make his fellow mourn? 

Yet, let not this too much my son, 

Disturb thy youthful breast; 

This partial view of humankind 

Is surely not the last! 

The poor, oppressed, honest man, 

Had never, sure, been born, 

Had there not been some recompense 

To comfort those that mourn. 

— Robert Burns. 



THE THIRD STAGE 

A VISION OF ETERNAL LIFE 

' I V HE third stage in this young man's life was, 
A when he came to Jesus Christ inquiring. His 
realization of something lacking, became central- 
ized upon a vision of eternal life; and he came 
running to Jesus Christ for help. "What must I 
do to inherit eternal life." I have a clear vision of 
its importance, and I wish you would show me the 
w r ay. He was aroused from his condition of 
blindness to feel that there was something lacking; 
and then he saw eternal life looming up before 
him as a vision in the night. It was this vision 
that actuated him to come to Jesus Christ inquir- 
ing. A large amount of the failures of life is due, 
not so much to man's inability to see; but to his 
neglect of moving to action when he does see 
clearly and with conviction. It w r as the power of 
vision, moved to action that enabled Joseph to 
hear the rattling of the bones, and see the giant 
of famine stalking through the land; and moved 
him to make the necessary preparation for the fu- 
ture seven years of want. It was this power of 
vision that enabled Isaiah to look down over the 
flats of seven centuries, and there in the dawn of 

37 



38 Paying the Price 

a new era in civilization, like the rays of the morn- 
ing sun beheld the effulgent glories of the Redeem- 
er of the world, the saviour of men, and the Son of 
God. He was moved to action, as no one could 
only he who had the weight of an enormous vision 
pressing down upon him. It was the power of vi- 
sion that enabled Moses to refuse to be called the 
son of Pharaoh's daughter, and choose affliction 
with the people of God; for by vision he was able 
to look beyond the murky Jordan of death, and 
there behold the land streaming with milk and 
honey. It was the power of vision that enabled 
Daniel to triumph, resist temptation, and bidding 
defiance to the worshipper of the Babylonian gods 
meditatively walked to his humble place of abode 
and with a vision filling his soul of the land be- 
yond the desert, prayed to the great God of the 
universe, with his face set towards Jerusalem. It 
was the power of vision moved to action, that en- 
abled Solomon to go five days journey from 

CD J * J 

Damascus into the Syrian desert, and there in the 
face of towering obstacles, built the city of "Tad- 
more." With the burning sun of the desert pour- 
ing down upon him; the clouds of sand blowing 
about him ; no water nor timber in sight, he built 
this magnificent city. Going on three thousand 
years in the future, excavations of the ruins of that 
city, show its towers, pillars and temples to be next 



The Third Stage — Vision of Eternal Life 39 

to the master architecture of Greece and Rome. 
In the great desert of life, will your vision and re- 
sponse thereto, be such as to enable you to build 
such a magnificent temple, that in the years to 
come the rising generations will look to the ruins 
of a mighty life that was lived centuries in the 
past, and be able to say, — well done. It was the 
power of a noble vision, and pursuit of the same, 
that enabled Abraham Lincoln to throw down the 
tripod and transit, that he might be enabled to con- 
vince the world that a naiton was conceived in lib- 
erty, and dedicated to the proposition, that all men 
were created equal. I am impressed by the splen- 
did vision that this young man had of something 
beyond this world, and the effort he put forth in 
pursuing the same, only to fail because of the ob- 
stacle he encountered. 

Young man; in the pursuit of vision, you will 
have three factors to contend with. The first of 
these is, fellow man. Remember the adverse in- 
fluence of life's unworthy associates. The shores 
of time are strewn with human wrecks, that once 
had bright prospects for the future, but because of 
unworthy association never attained to the noble 
ideals they had set up as the goal and object of 
their lives. The second factor is the personal 
equation, or self. Guard against unworthy per- 
sonal inclinations, and improper worldly tenden- 



-? 1 



40 Paying the Price 

cies. Here is where the downfall of this young 
man took place. The third factor you will have 
to reckon with is, the divine. You will encounter 
Him, not in the whirlwind, and the storms of life, 
but through the whisperings of that still small 
voice in the aisles of the soul. Guard against go- 
ing upon the wings of vision into the land of fancy. 
Make sure that the inclinations of your soul are 
well founded. Consult reliable authorities. So- 
licit the opinion of worthy friends; and sift the 
matter out between your own soul and God before 
you start. A dog while crossing a bridge looked 

- 

over into the clear water below. There it saw the 
shadow of a bone carried in its own mouth. This 
dog was ambitious, and plunged into the water to 
grasp the second bone; and in doing so dropped 
the one it had. It swam to the shore wet, drip- 
ping, and disappointed. There it sat upon the 
bank whining for the lost bone. It now realized 
that it had lost the real bone while grasping at a 
shadow. A child standing by its mother saw a 
beautiful rainbow in the heavens. It vehemently 
demanded of the mother to give it the rainbow. 
The mother tried to reason with the child, but all 
efforts failed, as the child was bent on receiving 
the rainbow to play with. She called upon the 
maid, to bring its playthings ; but the weeping child 
hurled them all down, and cried for the rainbow. 



The Third Stage — Vision of Eternal Life 41 

The mother called for its diamond studded brace- 
let, which the child was taught to highly value ; but 
it was flung to the floor, and the child cried itself 
to sleep in the mother's arms, because she would 
not give it the rainbow to play with. Had that 
child the power to travel through space, it would 
come to the regions of the rainbow, and upon try- 
ing to grasp it, would learn that it was nothing but 
vapor; and that the vision from a distance was 
entirely misleading. Make sure before you start. 
This young man who came to Jesus Christ stood 
upon the solid foundation when he had a clear vi- 
sion of, and an eager desire to possess eternal life. 
In his past life, and even yet to an injurious extent, 
he had been grasping for the shadow; and build- 
ing upon the rainbow colors of abundant worldly 
possessions. Sad as the tragic ending of this 
young man's life was, yet, we must give him credit 
for a time in his life when he soared to the most 
sublime elevations thereof and had a clear vision 
of the importance of eternal life. The noblest 
ideal of a man's life is, a clear vision of the glor- 
ies of eternity, with an eager spirit to pursue the 
same. 

Let the young man realize that, while with the 
swift stream of time the rolling years are receding, 
never to rise again, the world is marching on 
towards a transformation that shall constitute a 



4 2 



Paying the Price 



new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth 
righteousness ; and in the ages to come, there shall 
arise a generation that shall look upon the lamb 
lying down with the wolf, the sword beaten into 
plough shares, and the sun of righteousness shin- 
ing never to set again. Then standing upon the 
shores of eternity, robed in dazzling white, then 
with glorified pride in your heart, and praises to 
God upon your lips, as you look down over ages, 
be able to say : thank God for the vision He gave 
me of eternal life, which led me to fight a good 
fight, run a good race, and to finish the work He 
gave me to do. Now there is a crown of glory 
for me to wear through the eternities that are to 
roll on and on, never, no never to end. 



THE FOURTH STAGE 

ONE THING LACKING 

' I S HE fourth stage in this young man's life was, 
A when Jesus told him that there was one thing 
lacking. Already, the young man felt that there 
was something wanting, and this led him to come 
to Jesus. He felt the excellencies of his earthly 
qualifications; but realized that he did not possess 
that which Jesus Christ was advocating for lost 
humanity, and a world in distress. He felt that he 
did not possess the essential qualifications to pos- 
sess the eternal life which the Saviour was advo- 
cating; and so he came running, and asking what 
must I do to inherit the same. Jesus seeing the 
extent of his earthly accumulations; the splendid 
qualifications of his character, the impulse of his 
soul for eternal life; seeing him so near, and yet so 
far; looking "upon him," the divine eye piercing 
into the deepest recesses of his soul; loved him, 
and with the smile of affection, said: "one thing 
thou lackest." To the eyes of the outside world, 
he was a model young man. The Hebrew stand- 
ard of morality, and religion was the highest that 
the world ever heard of outside of Christianity. 
When all the great fundamental principles thereof 
were presented to this young man, he was able to 

43 



44 Paying the Price 



say: "all these have I kept from my youth, what 
lack I yet." As we travel along the Bible path 
from Genesis to Revelation; when we approach 
this young man we are startled to find in him an- 
other victim of, the Bible tragedy of the one thing 
lacking. Away back in the garden of Eden, man 
is living with his life fashioned after that of the 
eternal God. Everything is paradise, and nothing 
is lacking. In a short time we find that the scene 
is changed, and man is driven from the garden. 
Over the ages, and out into the vast expanse of 
time, we behold man struggling. We see strife 
and contention in operation upon all sides. Pain, 
sorrow and death are found to be so indelibly 
written into the constitution of man, that pessimis- 
tic philosophers in ages past concluded, "that man 
was made to mourn." Famine and pestilence 
periodically arise ; bloody wars mow down the hu- 
man race from time to time. We ask for the cause 
of all this woe and misery in the world ; the answer 
comes down the pathway of the centuries — one 
thing lacking in the Garden of Eden. 

Moses — the great progenitor of the Hebrew 
race, is called upon to go down into Egypt and 
liberate the great Hebrew race from slavery, and 
extreme bondage. He was an instrument in the 
hand of the eternal God. He performed miracles. 
He led Israel through the Red Sea ; and surmount- 



The Fourth Stage — One Thing Lacking 45 

ed the extraordinary difficulties peculiar to the life 
of a nation wandering in a wilderness for nearly 
half a century. His life was a model for the ages 
to come. He stands out with great prominence 
as the most towering figure in a period of four 
thousand years. The one goal and great desire of 
his life was, that he would be permitted to cross 
the Jordan, and see the "promised land." As he 
came to the eastern side of the Jordan, and the end 
of his life approaching, he went up into a moun- 
tain peak, where he could see the "promised land" 
over to the Mediterranean sea, and there we hear 
him pleading with God saying: — "I pray thee, let 
me go over and see the land that is beyond the 
Jordan; that goodly mountain, and Lebanon." 
God refused this earnest pleading of his great ser- 
vant. Why? because there was one thing lacking 
in his past life; and that scar in the life of Moses 
could never be healed, so as to enable him to 



achieve the grandest ideal of all his life. We be- 
hold this sorrowful spectacle in the life of one of 
the towering figures of the ages, and we lament the 
Bible tragedy of the one thing lacking. 

David; we read, was a man after God's own 
heart. Yet, subject to the infirmities and weak- 
nesses of human life. In the first part of his ca- 
reer, we find the great subject which we may well 
call : — The Ascending Glory of David's Life. The 



46 Paying the Price 

first step in this ascending glory was, David's su- 
preme faithfulness to the reality. He would not 
tolerate insult and defiance to the armies of the 
living God. He accepts the challenge of the Phil- 
istine giant; and when the victory was won, he de- 
clined the honor that a nation in distress would be- 
stow upon a successful general. He preferred 
placing the glory where it rightfully belonged, in 
order to convince the world that the God of Israel 
was the supreme God. 

When Saul's wonderful armor was placed upon 
him, he declined to wear it, saying, that it was un- 
tried, artificial, and not what God intended for 
him to wear. Thus showing his fidelity to reality. 
The second step in the ascending glory of David's 
life was, the supreme tie of friendship which bound 
him and Jonathan together. We look over the 
annals of time, and through the pages of history 
for great instances of true fellowship, but nowhere 
do we find a more subline example of true friend- 
ship than that which bound David and Jonathan 
together. A third step in this ascending glory, 
was, the noble spirit of the desert. The enemy 
boiling from the spirit of revenge, is pursuing 
David's life. He fled to the desert. He declined an 
opportunity for a civil war in the nation. Here 
the depths of his soul yearned for the water of 
the "well of Bethlehem which is by the gate." 






The Fourth Stage — One Thing Lacking 47 

When this water was brought to him, he poured it 
out as a libation to God; showing that there was 
nothing in life so dear to him as to stand between 
his soul and God. Here, while he was being pur- 
sued by his enemy, who would not hesitate for a 
moment to take his life with the first opportunity; 
David refrained from drawing his sword for the 
destruction of this arch enemy on two different oc- 
casions. The last step in the ascending glory of 
David's life was, when he was lifted to the sublime 
position of king of the united realm of all Israel; 
and the noble incidents associated with that reign. 
We thus scan his life as he is scaling the heights of 
honor, glory, and fame. As we view this picture 
of a great and a successful life, we ask the ques- 
tion: was there anything lacking in the life of 
David. Alas, the scene is changed, and we behold 
David descending from these glorious heights of 
life; and we shall ultimately find that the decline 
and fall of David's life was due to "one thing 
lacking." Here our attention may be directed to 
The Fading Glory of David's Life. By one act, 
he is guilty of a treacherous murder; of humiliat- 
ing a woman; of invading the sacred precincts of 
a home; and of lifting his hand in the most base 
manner against a true friend. In the fading glory 
of David's life; our attention is directed, first to 
the awful tragedy of a stupefied and an unwakened 



48 Paying the Price 

conscience. The deed he was about to commit was 
the very incarnation of baseness and brutality. 
Yet, David's conscience was stupefied and unawak- 
ened. The fading glory of his life was also due, 
to the abiding consequences of God's broken laws. 
A prophet is sent to break the news to David; 
and to remove the scales from his eyes. He saw 
the error of his way; but it was too late. The 
deed was done, and retribution must follow such 
a base violation of the laws of heaven. Earth 
moistened with overflowing tears of repentance, 
may secure man and God's forgiveness; but the 
mighty oceans dried up, and their great depths 
filled to the brim with the briny tears of sorrow, 
can never undo the deed, nor remove the stain. 
The scar remains. Years ago, a hunter at the 
dawn of day found himself seated in a lonely val- 
ley among the distant hills. It was at that season 
of the year, when the wild geese migrated from 
the north to the south. Upon former occasions, 
they were known to alight in this secluded place. 
To his delight, the hunter's eye fell upon a lonely 
goose. The bird was shot ; and upon examination, 
it was found to have had at one time a broken 
wing. Perhaps, the mother goose trampled upon 
it while it was a little gooselet in the nest. Nature 
pursued its course, and the wing was healed; but, 
alas the scar was left. In the coming years, when 



The Fourth Stage — One Thing Lacking 49 

the time arrived for the flight to the sunny lands of 
the south, this bird was unable to follow its com- 
panions, and fell by the wayside, because of the 
once broken pinion. David repented, but the scar 
was left. He died as the fool dieth, with vanity 
of vanities written upon all his past glories. In him 
we behold the falling of beauty into darkness, and 
of glory into dust. We behold the awful conse- 
quence of a single sinful desire and we have our at- 
tention vividly directed to the Bible tragedy of the 
one thing lacking. 

On Tuesday evening of the Passion week, Jesus 
is resting upon the Mount of Olives. He is sur- 
rounded by His Disciples. He is giving them in- 
structions concerning the judgment, and His sec- 
ond coming. Here the parable of the ten Virgins 
was given. Its purpose was to show them how in- 
adequate a full, and almost perfect preparation 
would prove, should it be found that there was one 
thing lacking. The scene is that of an oriental 
marriage. Ten virgins had made special prepara- 
tion for attending the great festivities of the mar- 
riage. They must have torches, and oil to supply 
them when burning. They all made what seemed 
to be every necessary preparation; and left their 
homes for the direction from which the bride- 
groom was to come. We are told that the bride- 
groom tarried ; and that the virgins slumbered and 



SO Paying the Price 



slept, while the torches were left burning. We are 
told that five of these virgins were wise, while the 
other five were foolish. Wherein consisted the 
foolishness of the five virgins? In that there was 
one thing lacking in their extensive preparation. 
This was the lesson that Jesus desired to impress 
upon the minds of His disciples. These ten vir- 
gins w r ere all alike in that they all made great prep- 
aration. They all had the same desire to honor 
the bridegroom. They all had the same outward 
appearance of having made the same preparation. 
They all slumbered and slept; and they all went 
the same distance to meet the honored guest. But 
when the hour of the true testing arrived, it was 
found that in the preparation of the foolish Vir- 
gins, there was one thing lacking. They hastened 
to adjust the neglect, and then hastened to the 
great marriage feast; but alas, the doors were 
shut, and down over the centuries rings the sad 
anthem, as a warning to all generations — late, late 
too late, you cannot enter now. As we read this 
sad narrative, our attention is again riveted upon 
the Bible tragedy of the one thing lacking. 

In the third chapter of John's gospel, we have 
the narrative concerning "Nicodemus." A man 
greatly confounded by the perplexities of the new 
principles of righteousness propounded by the 
Saviour of the world. This man was a great ad- 



The Fourth Stage — One Thing Lacking 5 1 

herent to the principles of righteousness as advo- 
cated by the Law and the Prophets. He was a 
man of high standards, and excellent qualifica- 
tions; and like the young man of our narrative, he 
came to Jesus by night inquiring about eternal life. 
In Nicodemus, we have a man who, when all was 
ended in the Saviour's career, came with a compan- 
ion and took down the body of Jesus from the 
Cross, and placed it in the tomb. In him, we have 
before us a man who saw in Jesus the greatest of 
all teachers, and firmly believed that he was sent 
from God. In him we have a man who, when na- 
ture was robed in the darkness of night, the earth 
baptized with the dew from the star-bespangled 
heavens; the silence of nature broken only by the 
note of the Whip-poor-will upon the banks of the 
distant Jordan, came across the hills of Palestine 
that he might be able to sit at the feet of Jesus and 
grasp His mysterious teachings concerning eternal 
life. In him we have a member of the highest 
ecclesiastical Jewish court; and thus occupying a 
first place in the church of his day. In him we have 
a man highly educated, for he must know the Bible 
with great exactness, or he could not be a member 
of that court. In him we have a great reformer; 
standing for equity, justice, and right; for he said 
u doth our court condemn a man without being 
tried," Yet notwithstanding all these excellent 



52 Paying the Price 



qualifications, we hear Jesus saying unto him: 
verily, verily I say unto you, you are lost, you must 
be born again. The Bible tragedy of the one thing 
lacking. 

It is a matter of maritime record, that some 
time ago, the captain of a passenger ship, while in 
mid-ocean, discovered that his vessel was on fire 
beyond control. A great storm was raging. He 
at once sent out the distress signal. All ships with- 
in a reasonable distance, picking up this signal, 
hastened to the rescue. Before dusk, eleven great 
ocean liners were assembled about the burning 
ship; but the storm rendered them helpless. At- 
tempts were made to lower boats from the burn- 
ing ship, but these were smashed, and the occu- 
pants were drowned. Rafts, were sent adrift from 
the surrounding ships, but these missed the mark, 
and hope was lost again. A boat from one of the 
rescue ships, heroically battled with the waves for 
three and a half hours, but was compelled to re- 
turn with only three oars intact. One hundred and 
twenty-five lives were lost in attempting to get 
away from the burning ship. All night, the re- 
maining five hundred were huddled in the bow of 
the ship with the fire which meant death, creeping 
towards them inch by inch. The situation was des- 
perate. One man was seen to kiss his wife and 
children, and then threw them overboard; then, 



The Fourth Stage — One Thing Lacking 53 

throwing up his hands, he was seen to hurl himself 
to instant death, among the angry waves. Here 
was gathered the finest collection of ocean liners, 
ever assembled in mid-ocean. Here was assem- 
bled the greatest rescue equipment ever gathered 
about a burning ship far out at sea. Yet, this great 
equipment stood by helpless, lamenting that there 
was one thing lacking. That one thing was, Oil, 
to calm the turbulent sea. Early in the scene, a 
wireless call was sent broadcast for an ocean 
"tanker." The answer came back that she was 
coming. With the break of day, the oil ship was 
seen upon the horizon. Arriving upon the scene ; 
her pumps were turned on full force. In a short 
time, the sea around the burning ship was calm; 
and the five hundred were easily rescued. The 
equipment of life, to meet the exigencies of a great 
emergency, may be the very incarnation of perfec- 
tion; and yet, prove helpless, if the one great es- 
sential thing is lacking. 

The young man of our narrative is an outstand- 
ing example, and a warning to all followers of 
Jesus Christ; as well as to all religious organiza- 
tions; and to all young men in the journey of life ; 
to guard against model equipment with the one 
thing lacking. We would all do well to pause and 
profoundly meditate upon the great lessen that 
the wise book is designed to convey to us in its 



54 



Paying the Price 



great tragedy of the one thing lacking. "Jesus 
looking upon him, loved him, and said, one thing 
thou lackest." 



THE FIFTH STAGE 

CHRIST IN THE BALANCE 

* I V HE fifth stage in this young man's life was: 
When he stood face to face with the urgent 
request from Jesus Christ, to follow Him. Ah, 
what did this mean? It meant a great deal. It 
meant the same thing to him as it does to you and 
to me. What does it mean to follow Christ. 
There are a great many lines in which we could di- 
rect our thoughts with this idea ; but I invite your 
attention to a consideration of three things in- 
volved with great prominence, in following Christ. 
The first of these is : That you are to demonstrate 
to the world that you are a follower. The Saviour 
said: "no man lights a lamp, and then puts it un- 
der a bushel." He also said: "I am the light of 
the world," if any man follow after me he shall 
not walk in darkness, but he shall have the light of 
life." If we are true followers, and real ambassa- 
dors of Jesus Christ, we must let our lights so 
shine as to glorify our Father who is in heaven; 
and demonstrate to the world that we are soldiers 
of the Cross. The soldier of the army wears a 
uniform, not only to show that he is in the service 
to protect the interest of his country; but that uni- 
form also shows, the country to which he belongs. 
±he member of a lodge wears a button, or a 

55 



56 Paying the Price 

badge, to demonstrate that he belongs to that or- 
ganization. Is the great christian organization, 
advocating the universal brotherhood of man; and 
pointing out the way to eternal salvation, is that 
organization so light, trivial, and unbeneficial in 
our estimation as to lead us to conceal and deny 
our membership. Some time ago, on stepping 
from a train, on a Sunday morning, in one of the 
leading cities of the United States; a man was 
seen standing at the far end of the platform, hand- 
ing out leaflets to all the passengers from the in- 
coming train. As the procession from this train 
came to an end, he was seen to hasten to another 
platform to meet those from another train just 
arriving. Before receiving one of these leaflets, 
I wondered what they were. As he handed me one 
I read: "This is the Lord's day; will you not put 
forth an effort to attend one of His houses of wor- 
ship in this city." I looked the man over. I 
watched him for a time. He had all the appear- 
ance of a man from the highest ranks of the social 
and commercial world. He transacted this item 
of business with the same alacrity, courtesy, and 
apparent delight as he would that of one of the 
large department stores of the city. I there and 
then saw as I never did before, the beauty of a 
man from the commercial world demonstrating to 
the outside world that he was a follower of the 



The Fifth Stage — Christ in the Balance 57 

Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the prime fac- 
tors in Christian discipleship. The young man 
who desires to triumph in life; be victorious in 
death; and win a crown of glory in the world be- 
yond, let him not refain from demonstrating to 
the world that he is a follower of Jesus Christ. 

The second thing that we must do is: Not to 
follow Christ ".afar. off." It matters not what we 
are doing in life, but there are different degrees 
of interest and intensity, which we can put into 
out work. One of the maxims of life is, concen- 
tration of interest and effort. Anything that is 
worth doing, do not follow it afar off. To look 
upon an object from a distance is to behold that 
object with dim outlines, and not clear-cut. Draw 
up close to business. Get close to your ideal in 
life. When the Saviour was being led to the 
Cross, those whom He had selected to be a center 
around which would radiate the kingdom He es- 
tablished had fled. Where were they? Had they 
gone back to Galilee, to their respective former 
occupations? No; they were still following Him; 
but they were following Him afar off, to see what 
would happen to their great leader and master. 
They were following at too great a distance to be 
of any account in this critical time in the experi- 
ences of Christ. Today there are many degrees 
of following, among the soldiers of the Cross. 



58 Paying the Price 

Some are following shoulder to shoulder with the 
Saviour. Some are following Him a short dis- 
tance to the rear. Some, so as to see the Master 
as He is about to turn the corner, but very care- 
ful that the spectator will not recognize them as 
belonging to the Galilean band. Others are fol- 
lowing at too great a distance to be of any account 
to the Saviour, or the Saviour to them. This 
young man when he came to Jesus inquiring, no 
doubt entertained the idea that he could follow 
Him in a manner other than that which the Sav- 
iour presented to him. His manner of following 
would be that of a distance — afar off. Jesus did 
not compromise on this score. He did not sug- 
gest that he hold on to all that he had and follow. 
The true following of Christ will not mix in with 
the mammonism of the world. You cannot be a 
true soldier of the Cross, while following the Sav- 
lour arar on. 

The third factor in following Christ is : To live 
close to His teaching, and to the example of His 
life. Before the coming of Christ, man was grop- 
ing in the darkness, striving to find the pathway in 
which he should travel. In the ages of the past, 
standards were established for man to follow as 
the way of righteousness; only to prove a failure 
when given the final test. Man was eagerly listen- 
ing for the voices "from behind saying, this is the 



The Fifth Stage — Christ in the Balance 59 

way, walk ye in it." There was no sure and last- 
ing foundation of righteousness upon which to 
build. Into the midst of a world in great perplex- 
ity, the Saviour appeared; and by His life and 
teaching, gave to struggling humanity that founda- 
tion for which the ages of the past were seeking. 
He called upon men to come unto Him, and fol- 
low in the pathway He had unfolded. His illus- 
tration of the relation, that should exist between 
Him and His followers was, that of the vine and 
the branches. They were to be the avenue through 
which His life and teaching would find expression 
in the ages to come. They were to bear fruit of 
what He was and taught. They were to be the 
great advocates of the brotherhood of man. They 
were not to enter into a controversy with an oppo- 
nent, but rather vanish out of their sight; and un- 
der the most favorable conditions possible, in the 
spirit of love, to continue the propagation of the 
principles of the kingdom of heaven. They v/ere 
to retire to the mountain side, and secluded places, 
and there spend whole nights in prayer and com- 
munication with heaven. One thing the true fol- 
lower of Christ must do ; and that is, to hold on to 
the teachings of Jesus, and the example of His 
life. Let go of this, and you are simply speculat- 
ing, as to the demands of the kingdom of heaven. 
This young man who came to Jesus Christ asking 



60 Paying the Price 

for the price of eternal life, learned what it meant 
to follow Him. He must demonstrate to the world 
that he belonged to the Galilean band. He must 
render a whole hearted service. He must put the 
teaching and example of Jesus in place of the Law 
and the Prophets. He must renounce that master 
passion of his life. He must sell all to follow Him. 
He must pay the price. At this stage of the nar- 
rative, we leave him face to face with the Saviour, 
seriously considering the cost of true discipleship. 



THE SIXTH STAGE 

THE PRICE TOO GREAT 

^PHE final stage in this young man's life was: 
when he considered the price too great, and 
refused to pay it. He desired eternal life ; he was 
shown the price ; he said, it is too much. All the 
master achievements of life are bought at a great 
price. The young man who folds his arms, declin- 
ing to use his heavenly endowed talents; and not 
grasp the glorious opportunities of life; and at the 
same time, expect to become master of the great 
achievements of his age ; that young man is expect- 
ing something that is contrary to the laws of the 
universe ; and something which the ages of the 
past have demonstrated could not be realized 
through that avenue. The master inventor of the 
electrical world, was asked to define genius. He 
replied, that genius was two per cent inspiration, 
and ninety-eight per cent perspiration. Great tal- 
ents, and endowments that are born with a man, 
will become as flowers in the desert, and gems in 
the dark unfathomed caves of the ocean, if man 
does not pay the price of the full application of 
himself, to enable those endowments to unfold 
themselves to their full ability. That the price 
must be paid in order to produce results, is a prin- 
ciple true to the world of nature ; true in commer- 

6 1 



62 Paying the Price 

cial activities ; and equally true in the realm of reli- 
gion. The talipot palm grows tall and majestic, 
lifting its head above its surroundings. Year by 
year it is seen to flourish without any indications 
of blossom or fruit. At the end of forty years it 
blooms itself to death. Every blossom develops 
into a nut which falls into the earth and brings 
forth a little talipot palm. The mother tree at 
once begins to shrink and shrivel, and eventually 
crumbles to the earth. A thousand little palm 
trees are seen to flourish, but the mother has paid 
the price. In the tombs of Egypt, among the mum- 
mies, among the dry and dusty bones of the long 
forgotten and buried dead; are found grains of 
the Egyptian wheat. This grain has survived the 
march of time. While multitudes of the different 
departments of nature caused to produce and re- 
produce; living their little day and then perished; 
while generation rapidly succeed generation ; while 
empires rose and died; for four thousand years, 
this grain with marvelous tenacity held on to its 
life principle. At last, when brought to the sun- 
light and moisture, it expands, and brings forth 
the blade, the stock, and then the full ear of many 
grains. With this magnificent product brought 
forth, we ask for the single grain which survived 
the ordeal of that long period in the tombs of the 
dead. We learn that it is no more. To bring 



The Sixth Stage — The Price Too Great 63 

forth this product, it must surrender its very life. 
It paid the price. The world's largest concrete via- 
duct, is that of Tunkhannock in northern Pennsyl- 
vania. This wonderful piece of concrete construc- 
tion, was built by the Lackawanna railroad. This 
corporation sent a force of engineers to labor for 
months among the hills and ravines of this section 
to ascertain the feasibility of the contemplated 
project. After days and months of arduous labor, 
they returned to the head offices, bringing in the 
report. Upon one side they laid the saving to the 
railroad in grade, engine power, and reduction 
in time of fast trains between New York and Buf- 
falo. Upon the other side they placed the price 
of the project — $12,000,000, Thus two items 
were placed before this railway organization- — the 
project, and the cost. Only one question to an- 
swer ; shall we pay the price. The contract was let 
for a viaduct 2375 feet long, 240 feet high. Com- 
posed of ttn 800 foot, and two 100 foot spans. 
Today, the Lackawanna is reaping the benefits of 
this structure, because it paid this enormous price. 
For centuries, the leading men of the commercial 
world realized the enormous benefits to the whole 
world, from a waterway across the Isthmus of 
Panama, connecting the sea trade of the Atlantic 
and Pacific oceans. Since the year 155 1 the idea 
was before the world. Plans were formulated: 



64 Paying the Price 

companies organized; and work begun, but all ef- 
forts proved a failure. In the year 1902 the con- 
gress of the United States succeeded in reaching 
an amicable agreement with the French promoters 
whose efforts had failed. In magnitude, tljis pro- 
ject surpassed any one of the seven wonders of the 
ancient world. The cost $375,000,000. The time 
to complete the work, twelve to thirteen years. Be- 
sides this, an enormous toll of human lives from 
unfavorable climatic conditions. The work was 
undertaken; the project completed; and now the 
world is reaping the benefits, of this wonderful 
waterway; all because an enormous price was paid. 
Hildeberg, says that at the door of the Temple 
of Fame, stands an angel who whispers to each 
young candidate for honors: "can you eat crusts; 
can you wear rags ; can you endure blows ; can you 
endure sleepless nights, and laborious days; and 
bitter jibes, and scorn and shame; If not, avaunt! 
there is no place for feeblings here." Turner, the 
great English artist, had chosen Art as the voca- 
tion of his life. He at once began to apply him- 
self ; only to meet with very poor success. Failure 
was written in very bold type across the face of all 
his efforts. The late hours of the night, and the 
early ones of the morning, found him applying 
himself to the last ounce of his physical powers, 
and artistic ability, that he might attain to his 



The Sixth Stage — The Price Too Great 65 



ideal. In the sleepless moments of the midnight 
hour, from a restless pillow, he is looking out into 
the darkness of a lightless room beholding in the 
frame of imagination the majestic productions. 
He slumbers shedding tears, because of his inabil- 
ity to bring that master production of the imagina- 
tion into reality upon the canvas. Sketch after 
sketch is made; until at last the number has 
reached twenty-seven thousand. Each one was 
pronounced a failure, and cast aside. At last the 
art is mastered, of bringing before his soul with 
profound vividness the distinctive features of the 
object; and the hand is trained to link with the im- 
agination, and reproduce upon canvas what the 
soul is gazing upon within. Twenty-seven thou- 
sand fruitless sketches; weary hours of sleepless 
nights; nerves at high tension bordering upon 
wreckage; years of valuable time without any 
fruitful results, was a great price to pay. But the 
ideal is attained; and long after his bones have 
crumbled to dust, the centuries laud a master ar- 
tist; and the rising generations hold his memory 
fresh as they look upon the master product of a 
master man. 

Daniel Webster goes down into the annals of 
time as one of the master intellects of the Ameri- 
can continent, and of the world. He thus stands 
out because of towering factors, and great pillars 



66 Paying the Price 

in his life. These factors were not produced with- 
out extreme effort. His oratorical powers, were 
but the product of a great price paid in the ex- 
treme application of himself to become such. The 
soul stirring portions, of his memorable reply to 
Hayne, were not the product of the moment, but 
were premeditated as early as twenty years in the 
past. Master productions, are produced only by 
profound study; serious meditation; and the ex- 
treme application of our heavenly endowed pow- 
ers. The price must be paid. "Emerson," was 
filling a large and influential pulpit in the city of 
Boston; when he had a vision of stepping down to 
a lower rank, that he might later become, of great- 
er service to his Master, and the cause he repre- 
sented. He resigned, and went out to a small se- 
cluded place, receiving for his service the sum of 
six hundred dollars a year, to live on. For a time, 
he actually disappeared; only that he might open 
up the way to greater heights in the achievements 
of life. Savonarola, the great religious reformer, 
was approached by the Pope of Rome, and asked 
to sell his religious convictions for a certain price. 
He would be made a cardinal ; he would live in a 
palace, and have gold and silver in abundance. He 
showed greater strength than Judas of old; he 
shook his head and said, nay. He endured the pri- 
vations of life. He endured, beholding from afar 



The Sixth Stage — The Price Too Great 67 

that which was at present invisible. John Bunyan 
must pay the price of incarceration in Bedford 
Jail, that the way might be opened for him to give 
to the world his master book, "The Pilgrim's Pro- 
gress. " The Pilgrim Fathers, and the American 
leaders of the following generations endured great 
suffering, and extreme privations. The Civil war 
placed crape upon the doors of thousands of 
American homes. But all these privations, and 
sufferings were necessary in order to produce a 
country where freedom, equality, and justice 
would sit forever upon the throne. 

Today, at the close of the world war, the world 
has given a sigh of relief, because the task is over, 
and the price is paid. The issue at stake, was au- 
tocracy, against world democracy. The price paid 
was twenty-five millions of the human race crip- 
pled and dead; and two hundred billions of the 
world's wealth cast into the junk heap of war. Add 
to this the millions of sad homes, and broken 
hearts, and we have the price paid by the twentieth 
century for the freedom of man, the rights of hu- 
manity, and the democracy of the world. Was it 
not better that one generation should thus pay the 
price; than to permit the suffering and misery of 
the ages to come. The burying grounds of the 
battle fields of Europe with their countless crosses, 
loom up before us, a marvelous panorama of the 



68 Paying the Price 

price that was paid. These crosses will crumble to 
the dust. Over these fields will wave the golden 
grain, reminding us of the shortness of human 
memory. Memories of this buried dead will be 
long forgotten; but the influence of their great 
achievement so dearly bought, will pass down, far, 
far into the rising generations, and may be the 
means of opening up the way for the transforma- 
tion of this world into a new heaven, and a new 
earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

In the "Fullness of time," the Saviour came to 
this world. The condition of the human race w r as 
sadly in the need of a transforming power; and 
the price must be paid. The prince of darkness 
came where Christ was, in the temptation wilder- 
ness, and offered a bribe. Jesus would not sell 
His honor, religion, and heaven appointed com- 
mission. Instead, was willing to pay the price on 
Calvary's Cross. In the garden, He sweats great 
drops of blood. He pleads with the Father, "if 
it be possible let this cup pass from me." He wore 
the crown, and robe of the jeers and mockery of 
this world. He bore His cross to the height of 
calvary. He suffered the agony of the crucifixion. 
The last moments surrounding His earthly career, 
were so agonizing, that He is heard to cry out; 
"My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me." 
All this was the price paid for the redemption of 



The Sixth Stage — The Price Too Great 69 

man, and the salvation of the world. The king- 
dom of heaven is offering the crown of eternal 
life ; but between the soul and that crown, there are 
many obstacles. No favors are granted. Heaven 
demands a price, and it must be paid. The young 
man of this Bible narrative had the way of salva- 
tion clearly pointed out to him. He was no longer 
in doubt as to what to do. He saw his duty clearly 
but he considered the price too great, and he is lost 
forever. Young man ; I have presented this fund 
of multiplied illustration to impress upon you the 
great necessity for paying the price. Consider the 
matter well. 



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